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AK: As other investors leave Russia, Alaska has no plans to sell its M in assets
Neither the Alaska Permanent Fund Corp. nor the Alaska Department of Revenue is planning to sell its investments in Russia, state and corporate officials said. The Permanent Fund’s investment in Russia amounts to $163 million, and Alaska has another $50 million invested through other accounts.
AR: Arkansas posts largest one-day increase in COVID deaths in a year
Arkansas’ death toll from the coronavirus rose by 55 as the number of the state’s virus patients who were on ventilators went up for the second day in a row. The increase in deaths, which brought the state’s toll to 10,579, was the largest one-day rise since Jan. 21, 2021.
ME: Maine governor plans to boost relief checks by $250 following new revenue projections
Democratic Gov. Janet Mills will bump up her proposal for inflation relief checks by $250 after a state commission estimated Maine would see a $411.6 million jump in revenues during the current two-year budget period.
WV: West Virginia miners call on legislature to keep mine inspectors’ enforcement authority
Miners and mine safety advocates spoke out against a bill moving through the West Virginia House that would strip state mine regulators of their enforcement authority, turning the Office of Miners’ Health, Safety and Training into an assistance outlet for mine operators.
MO: Missouri House votes to ban hair discrimination in schools
Black Missouri school children no longer could be discriminated against for wearing natural hair under a bill passed by the state House. The measure is aimed at helping kids who wear protective hairstyles such as Afros, braids and twists to school.
CO: Republicans sue to block unaffiliated voters from participating in Colorado’s primary election
A group of Colorado Republicans filed a federal lawsuit against Secretary of State Jena Griswold, a Democrat, seeking to prevent unaffiliated voters from participating in the June 28 primary election.
MS: Mississippi AG rolls out new statewide domestic violence reporting system
Mississippi Republican Attorney General Lynn Fitch announced the launch of a new statewide database to track domestic violence crimes. In addition to detailed information about the victim, alleged abuser, their relationship and any alleged abuse, officers also can upload photos and identify injuries on an interactive image of a body.
IN: Indiana lawmakers pass transgender sports ban
The Indiana General Assembly passed a bill that would ban transgender girls from playing girls school sports. It now heads to Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb, who signaled support for the measure.
DE: Delaware’s legislature is slow to diversify
Women currently make up 52% of Delaware’s population but just 30% of the 62-person General Assembly. Black residents make up 23% of the population compared with 19% of the legislature. And Hispanic and Latino people make up 10% of the population compared with 3% of the legislature.
NV: Nevada lawmakers split on regulations enshrining switch to mostly mail election
Nevada lawmakers on a legislative commission approved most, but not all, of more than two dozen largely technical election regulations that had drawn staunch opposition from state Republicans.
MI: Michigan lawmakers call on governor to boycott Russian interests
Michigan has not followed the lead of several other states in taking economic actions aimed at hurting Russia—symbolically or otherwise—despite growing and bipartisan calls from lawmakers for Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to do so. But a spokesperson said that Whitmer is “appalled by the unprovoked attack from Russia on a sovereign country” and has ordered a review of all options.
GA: Federal judge upholds Georgia redistricting for 2022 elections
A federal judge ruled that Georgia’s redrawn political maps can remain in place for this year’s elections, deciding that it’s too close to the state’s May 24 primary election to make court-ordered redistricting changes.
WA: Hospital leaders encourage indoor masking even after Washington state mandates end
COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations continue to trend down throughout Washington state. But hospital leaders have concerns and are encouraging people to mask indoors even after mandates lift.
NC: Unaffiliated voters could soon become North Carolina’s largest voting group
Soon the largest group of voters in North Carolina might not belong to a political party. Driven by newcomers and new voters, unaffiliated voters are nearly 2.49 million strong and growing.
NY: New York’s subsidies for horse racing spark legislative battle
After a Times Union investigation found horse racing in New York has been buttressed by $2.9 billion in state benefits since 2008, a handful of lawmakers mounted a renewed push for two bills to end two subsidies to the sport. The legislation would take about $230 million in revenues from horse racing and direct those funds to education and human services.
WI: Report to Wisconsin GOP pushes debunked effort to decertify 2020 election
The partisan attorney who led a months-long review of the 2020 election for Wisconsin Republicans released his 136-page report and called on lawmakers to dissolve the state’s election agency. He also urged them to consider decertifying the results—a move that legal scholars have called impossible.
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